Officials say more than 70 percent of heatstroke deaths occur in children younger than 2 years old.

To underscore how dangerous the heat can turn in a matter of minutes, Thibodaux Police Department Public Information Officer David Melancon sat in a hot car, recording the effects. The department posted the video to YouTube, which garnered a hefty audience of tens of thousands in just one day.

“We all know how hot it can get in south Louisiana and we want to encourage you not to leave you child or your children inside of a hot vehicle – even if you’re just going to run into the store real quick and come back out,” Melancon said.

Melancon recorded himself in his police car for 10 minutes under the sweltering sun.

“We just reached three minutes, and let me tell you, I feel like I’ve been in here for half an hour,” Melancon said in the video.

WDSU medical editor Dr. Corey Hebert said it’s important to recognize and understand what your body is telling you in these types of situations.

‘When you have heat stress or heat exhaustion, you’re sweating profusely. You can start to have nausea. You just really don’t feel good and you really feel hot,” Hebert said.

For Melancon, after five minutes, the heat became nearly unbearable.

“I can only imagine what a little kid goes through when they’re sitting in a car without any air – or a pet,” Melancon said.

“We know it’s worst in babies because their thermoregulatory systems are not as good as adults. So they heat up three to five times faster,” Hebert said.

Melancon said that after nine minutes, temperatures in the car soared above 100 degrees.

Hebert said that if someone is taking care of a person who cannot take care of themselves, and leaves them in a car, the situation can potentially turn fatal.

“At no point should you leave them at any time – for any reason – unattended because in less than 10 minutes, their body can start to go into heat exhaustion and quickly progress into heat stroke. And that’s when fatalities occur,” Hebert said.

“I just got out of that car and I feel like it’s winter time out here. That’s how hot it was in there,” Melancon said.

MORE THAN 70 PERCENT OF HEATSTROKE DEATHS OCCUR IN CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN AGE 2. TODAY A LOCAL DEPUTY DEMONSTRATED JUST HOW DANGEROUS THE HEAT CAN TURN IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. DAMON SINGLETON'S STORY IS ALL NEW AT 6. WE ALL KNOW HOW HOT IT CAN GET IN SOUTH LOUISIANA AND WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU NOT TO LEAVE YOUR CHILD OR YOUR CHILDREN INSIDE OF A HOT VEHICLE EVEN IF YOU'RE JUST GONNA RUN INTO THE STORE REAL QUICK AND COME BACK OUT. TO DEMOSTRATE HOW QUICKLY AND HOW MUCH THE HEAT CAN EFFECT YOU, THIS THIBODAUX POLICE OFFICER VIDEO TAPED HIMSELF INSIDE HIS CLOSED POLICE UNIT IN THE HEAT, IN THE SUMMER FOR 10 MINUTES. WE JUST REACHED 3 MINUTES AND LET ME TELL YOU I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN IN HERE FOR A HALF HOUR. DR. COREY HEBERT SAYS RECOGNIZE WHAT YOUR BODY IS TELLING YOU. WHEN YOU HAVE HEAT STRESS OR HEAT EXHAUSTION, YOU'RE SWEATING PROFUSELY, YOU CAN START HAVING SOME NAUSEA, YOU JUST REALLY DON'T FEEL GOOD AND YOU REALLY FEEL HOT. FOR THIS OFFICER AFTER 5 MINUTES THE HEAT IS ALMOST UNBEARABLE. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT A LITTLE KID GOES THROUGH WHEN THEY'RE SITTING IN A CAR WITHOUT ANY AIR, OR A PET. WE KNOW IT'S WORST IN BABIES BECAUSE THEIR THERMOREGULATORY SYSTEMS ARE NOT AS GOOD AS ADULTS SO THEY HEAT UP 3 TO 5 TIMES FASTER. I'M 9 MINUTES IN, I'VE GOT SWEAT EVERYWHERE, IT'S HARD TO BREATH, IT'S VERY HOT. TEMPERATURES ARE OVER A HUNDRED, A HUNDRED PLUS INSIDE THIS VEHICLE. IF YOU ARE TAKING CARE OF A PERSON THAT CANNOT TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES AND THEY ARE IN A CAR AND IT IS THE SUMMERTIME, AT NOT POINT SHOULD YOU LEAVE THEM AT ANY TIME FOR ANY REASON UNATTENDED BECAUSE IN LESS THAN 10 MINUTES THEIR BODY CAN START TO GO INTO HEAT EXHAUSTION AND QUICKLY PROGRESS INTO HEAT STROKE AND THAT'S WHEN FATALITIES OCCUR. I JUST GOT OUT OF THAT CAR AND I FEEL LIKE IT'S WINTER TIME OUT HERE, THAT'S HOW HOT IT WAS IN THERE. ON YOUR SIDE, DAMON SINGLETON WDSU NEWS. AS OF JULY 6TH -- 15 HOT CAR DEATHS HAVE OCCURRED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY... IN 2013.. 44 HOT CAR DEATHS WERE REPORTED... THE HIGHEST WAS IN 20-10 WITH 49 HOT CAR DEATHS.

The Obama administration will unveil a major climate change plan Monday aimed at a large reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's coal-burning power plants, a senior administration official told CNN.